I was born two hours East of Twin Falls in the small village of Firth, Idaho.A two-year stay in Brazil, as well as time spent in Ecuador, Mexico, and Argentina have caused me to fall in love with Latin American language and culture.I also spent several years in and around Mesa, Arizona, and enjoyed the strong Hispanic cultural presence there. It was in that urban desert landscape that I met my wife Dawnette (a native of the Valley of the Sun) and eventually convinced her to move North. We now have ten children and enjoy living and working in Twin Falls. In addition to my love of family and teaching, I am also passionate about reading, skateboarding, playing bass and mandolin, and collecting all manner of music on vinyl, CDs, and cassettes.

Teaching Philosophy

I love Spanish and Portuguese. Learning a language came along at a time in my life when I didn’t yet fully realize that I was capable of great things. There was a time when I was dead set AGAINST learning a foreign language. It was too hard. It IS hard. But once I realized that a gringo like me could pick up two foreign languages (and that the process hasn’t killed me yet) I began to see that I (and we) CAN do hard things, and that a literal world of opportunity, adventure, and fulfillment are available if we are willing to work for it. I am here to help you on this journey and pledge to you my time, abilities and dedication to this cause.